إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ ۚ وَٱذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ وَقُلْ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَهْدِيَنِ رَبِّى لِأَقْرَبَ مِنْ هَـٰذَا رَشَدًا 24
Translations
Except [when adding], "If Allāh wills." And remember your Lord when you forget [it] and say, "Perhaps my Lord will guide me to what is nearer than this to right conduct."
Transliteration
Illa an yasha'a Allah, wadhkur rabbaka idha nasiyta, wa qul 'asa an yahdiyani rabbi li-aqraba min hadha rashadaq
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah teaches the principle of divine will (qadr) and the importance of remembering Allah when one forgets to mention His will in future plans. The verse instructs believers to say 'If Allah wills' (Insha'Allah) when speaking of the future, and to invoke Allah's guidance when forgetfulness overtakes them, seeking a better and straighter path. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir emphasize this as a correction to the youth of the Cave regarding their statement about the duration they would remain there without qualifying it with divine will, establishing the Islamic etiquette of conditional speech.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of the story of the People of the Cave (Ashab al-Kahf), specifically addressing their statement about remaining in their cave for a certain period. The ayah comes as divine instruction to rectify their omission of mentioning Allah's will ('If Allah wills') in their future plans, teaching believers a fundamental principle of Islamic theology and speech.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Whoever says he will do something tomorrow and does not say Insha'Allah (If Allah wills), has disbelieved in divine will.' Additionally, Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Do not say for anything, I will do it tomorrow, without adding 'If Allah wills'' (Sunan Abu Dawud, Sunan An-Nasa'i).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers to maintain conscious awareness of their dependence on Allah in all endeavors by regularly invoking His will in speech, and to seek continuous guidance from the Lord when uncertainty or forgetfulness arises, fostering humility and spiritual consciousness in daily life.
Related Ayahs
وَإِنَّا لَجَـٰعِلُونَ مَا عَلَيْهَا صَعِيدًا جُرُزًا
And indeed, We will make that which is upon it [into] a barren ground.
فَٱنطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا لَقِيَا غُلَـٰمًا فَقَتَلَهُۥ قَالَ أَقَتَلْتَ نَفْسًا زَكِيَّةًۢ بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ لَّقَدْ جِئْتَ شَيْـًٔا نُّكْرًا
So they set out, until when they met a boy, he [i.e., al-Khiḍr] killed him. [Moses] said, "Have you killed a pure soul for other than [having killed] a soul? You have certainly done a deplorable thing."
سَيَقُولُونَ ثَلَـٰثَةٌ رَّابِعُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ خَمْسَةٌ سَادِسُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ رَجْمًۢا بِٱلْغَيْبِ ۖ وَيَقُولُونَ سَبْعَةٌ وَثَامِنُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ ۚ قُل رَّبِّىٓ أَعْلَمُ بِعِدَّتِهِم مَّا يَعْلَمُهُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ ۗ فَلَا تُمَارِ فِيهِمْ إِلَّا مِرَآءً ظَـٰهِرًا وَلَا تَسْتَفْتِ فِيهِم مِّنْهُمْ أَحَدًا
They [i.e., people] will say there were three, the fourth of them being their dog; and they will say there were five, the sixth of them being their dog - guessing at the unseen; and they will say there were seven, and the eighth of them was their dog. Say, [O Muḥammad], "My Lord is most knowing of their number. None knows them except a few. So do not argue about them except with an obvious argument and do not inquire about them among [the speculators] from anyone."
فَعَسَىٰ رَبِّىٓ أَن يُؤْتِيَنِ خَيْرًا مِّن جَنَّتِكَ وَيُرْسِلَ عَلَيْهَا حُسْبَانًا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَتُصْبِحَ صَعِيدًا زَلَقًا
It may be that my Lord will give me [something] better than your garden and will send upon it a [disastrous] penalty from the sky, and it will become a smooth, dusty ground,